The Secret Letters of Mama Cat

``Mama Cat'' is what Adam calls his older sister Meredith when he pretends to be a lost ``Baby Cat'' she must search for. It's a game they play through all the changes in their family, including the recent death of their grandmother and a move to Texas. Meredith writes to her grandmother in a journal and finally begins to adjust to her new home. Then her parents discover the journal and worry that they haven't helped Meredith properly mourn her grandmother's death. Occasionally, the writing lapses into sentimentality, and Meredith often becomes too philosophical for a seventh grader, even a very mature one. But the family scenesespecially between Adam and Meredithare sweetly realized, and readers will be encouraged by the way Meredith bravely works things out for herself. Ages 10-13. (May)